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  • 1-Manhattan Beach
  • 2-Pike's Point
  • 3-Templars Park
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    Spirit Lake, Iowa. Like many lakes it flourished with Hotels in the late 1800's. These Hotels would market to the 'tourist' and the 'tourists' arrived by train, etc. Steamers (boats) would travel the lake(s). It is presumed each Hotel/Resort would do their best to attract the most visitors. This website is not to document the 'grand hotels' of the late 1800's but to try to list amusement parks and that definition gets very difficult. On Spirit Lake I am going to list a couple places that at least it is known they set up Toboggan Slides on their beach amongst 'who knows what else'. On a lake close by Arnolds Park was one of these 'original old hotels' that grew into a full fledged amusement park.


    Templar Park is the permanent home of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar in Iowa and is the only one of its kind in the world. Here our Grand Commandery meets each year (usually the last week in June), to elect new officers and transact other business.

    The park is owned by Iowa Templars and after Grand Commandery Week they, with their families, gather here for a vacation and outing, where the social side of Iowa Templarism reaches its highest development. Templar family meets Templar family and one great congenial, joyful household spends a vacation of bathing, boating, fishing, golfing, dancing and Knightly fellowship.

    A beautiful $26,000 fireproof dance and amusement pavilion was opened during the season of 1929. Here the Park Trustees provide excellent music and dancing each night without extra cost to guests of Templar Park. There is also no extra cost for golfing, shuffle board and other games of sport, to our guests. For at least another season any Iowa Master Mason and family may avail themselves of these privileges, make reservations and be accommodated, subject to prior requirements of space by Knights Templar, except during Templar week.

    Templar Park is an ideal place to spend the summer. The gorgeous setting of flowers and trees around the white fireproof concrete red-tiled-roof building stands out like a great jewel on the shore of Iowa's most beautiful lake, and will fill you with new joys in vacation time. In addition to all this, you daily form many new delightful and lasting acquaintances with Knights, and their ladies, from every part of Iowa and adjoining states.

    Another fact of importance is that Templar Park is in no wise a commercial enterprise. Dining room and all is run on approximate cost basis, thus enabling a family to spend their vacation here for less than half the cost of similar accommodations anywhere else in the world.



    Probably all the 'Grand Hotels' had Toboggan Slides but that information is unknown at this time.


    CREDITS: EXCERPTS: -----